Method and system for managing interactive communications campaigns with text messaging

ABSTRACT

A messaging platform includes a text messaging subsystem that includes a suite of enhancements that facilitate implementation of a multi-channel communications strategy with high level and fine-grained control over outbound message creation or inbound message handling.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/913,395, filed on Jun. 8, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/626,312, filed on Nov. 25,2009, nowissued U.S. Pat. No. 8,462,981, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

This disclosure relates generally to a method and system for managinginteractive communication campaigns over a computer network, such as theInternet.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is known to provide a web-based hosted solution through whichbusiness entities create and manage interactive or notificationcommunications campaigns. An example of an interactive communicationscampaign is a telephone campaign to determine whether a target recipientdesires to transfer a credit card balance to a new account, a campaignto remind a recipient that a credit card payment is due and to offer therecipient an opportunity to speak with a customer representativeconcerning any payment issues, or the like. The hosted solutiontypically is implemented as an application (or “managed”) serviceprovider. One or more business entities (“clients”) that desire to usethe service typically register and access the service through an on-line(e.g., web-based) portal. In one representative use scenario, themanaged service provider entity provides outbound telemarketing serviceson behalf of participating clients. The campaign typically isprovisioned by the client. Thus, for example, using a web-basedinterface, a participating client defines a script for the campaign,imports a set of contacts, and defines one or more parameters thatgovern how the campaign is to be run. At a designated time, the serviceprovider initiates the campaign, e.g., by providing the contacts to aset of telephone servers that set-up and manage the telephone calls tothe targets of the campaign. During a given outbound voice call, asnoted above, a recipient (a “customer”) may be afforded an option toconnect to a contact center, e.g., to speak to a customerrepresentative. In such implementations, the hosted solution typicallyis integrated directly with the contact center's on-premises automaticcall distributor (ACD).

The rise in mobile phone usage and the dramatic increase in textmessaging are transforming the way individuals communicate with oneanother. Today in the United States, text messaging is the most populardata service among the hundreds of million mobile phone subscribers.This creates a powerful opportunity for organizations to enhance theirbrand and build profitable, life-long relationships with theircustomers. Text messaging is a perfect augmentation to automated voicemessaging campaigns, creating both a significant lift in call-backs anddramatic increase in interactive responses for many types of customercommunications.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A messaging platform includes a text messaging subsystem that includes asuite of enhancements that facilitate implementation of a multi-channelcommunications strategy with high level and fine-grained control overoutbound message creation or inbound message handling.

A text messaging campaign refers to a series of contacts (outboundand/or inbound) with respect to a contact list using one or moresub-campaigns that use a given script. A campaign typically has a presetconfiguration that applies to all of its sub-campaigns. A “sub-campaign”refers to one or more passes through a contact list using a script andthat is constrained to a particular timeframe (or at a set of one ormore such times). A “script” may have associated therewith variouscontrol functions for generating outbound messages, handling inboundmessages, and the like. As one example, a script may be used to send atext message as a follow-up to a voice message, or vice versa, toprovide a blended (or multi-channel) campaign. The script may be used todetermine whether an outbound or inbound telephone number is associatedwith a wireless telephone number (such that text messaging may beenabled), to determine whether a given customer account in which thescript is running is authorized to send text messages, and the like. Thetext messaging subsystem also provides support for event-based textmessaging sub-campaigns, and it enables agents (associated with thesystem) to manage inbound messages more efficiently.

The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent features of thesubject matter. These features should be construed to be merelyillustrative. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applyingthe disclosed subject matter in a different manner or by modifying thesubject matter as will be described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a service provider infrastructure forimplementing a managed communications campaign service;

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrates how an interactive communications campaign iscreated and managed in the service provider infrastructure illustratedin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram that illustrates how short code and programmanagement functions are implemented in the text messaging subsystem;

FIG. 4 is a representative display interface screen that is used forassociating one or more keywords with a source address (inbound device);and

FIG. 5 is a representative display interface screen illustrating how tocreate a new campaign and associate a script and inbound number to thatcampaign.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a representative service provider or systemarchitecture, which in the preferred embodiment is implemented in oracross one or more data centers. A data center typically hasconnectivity to the Internet. The system provides a web-based hostedsolution through which business entities create and managecommunications campaigns. Campaigns may be interactive ornon-interactive. Representative campaigns include, without limitation,account renewal campaigns, balance transfer or consolidation offercampaigns, billing issue campaigns, credit card activation campaigns,fraud alert campaigns, payment or past due reminder campaigns, customersurvey campaigns, debt recovery campaigns, late payment with right partyverification campaigns, payment reminder with direct connect to contactcenter campaigns, appointment reminder campaigns, welcome campaigns,account renewal campaigns, affinity cross-sell/rewards programcampaigns, crisis management/disaster recovery campaigns, new productoffer campaigns, inquiry/web follow-up campaigns, contract renewalcampaigns, service availability notification campaigns, promotionaloffer campaigns, service delivery confirmation campaigns, and the like.The particular type of campaign is not a limitation or feature of theinvention.

A business entity (a “client”) user has a machine such as a workstationor notebook computer. Typically, a business entity user accesses theservice provider architecture by opening a web browser on the machine toa URL associated with a service provider domain. Access may also bethrough an automated process, such as via a Web services applicationprogramming interface (API). Where a web browser is used, the clientauthenticates to the managed service in the usual manner, e.g., by entryof a username and password. The connection between the business entitymachine and the service provider infrastructure may be encrypted orotherwise secure, e.g., via SSL, or the like. Although connectivity viathe publicly-routed Internet is typical, the business entity may connectto the service provider infrastructure over any local area, wide area,wireless, wired, private or other dedicated network. As seen in FIG. 1,the service provider architecture 100 comprises an IP switch 102, a setof one or more web server machines 104, a set of one more applicationserver machines 106, a database management system 108, a set of SMSmessage servers 109, and a set of one or more telephony server machines110. A representative web server machine 104 comprises commodityhardware (e.g., Intel-based), an operating system such as Linux, and aweb server such as Apache 2.x. A representative application servermachine 106 comprises commodity hardware, Linux, and an applicationserver such as WebLogic 10.3 (or later). The database management system108 may be implemented as an Oracle (or equivalent) database managementpackage running on Linux. A representative telephony server machine isan application server that implements appropriate software applicationsfor call set-up, voice processing, and other call connection andmanagement activities. An application may implement the Media ResourceControl Protocol (MRCP). In the alternative, a telephony server machinemay execute an application server in conjunction with one or more PSTN,VoIP and/or voice processing cards that provide interconnectivity fortelephone-based calling applications. In a card-based embodiment, arepresentative card is a CG 6565 (or variant) series available fromDialogic, or an equivalent. Typically, a voice processing applicationport or card has a finite number of supported ports. In a high volumecall environment, there may be several web server machines, severalapplication server machines, and a large number of telephony servermachines. Although not shown in detail, the infrastructure may include aname service, FTP servers, MRCP (Media Resource Control Protocol)servers, load balancing appliances, other switches, and the like. Eachmachine typically comprises sufficient disk and memory, as well as inputand output devices. The software environment on each machine includes aJava virtual machine (JVM) if control programs are written in Java.Generally, the web servers 104 handle incoming business entityprovisioning requests, and they export a management interface that isdescribed in more detail below. The application servers 106 manage thebasic functions of generating campaign scripts, managing contacts, andexecuting campaigns. As will be discussed below, the campaign mayprovide end users voice messages, text messages, email messages, orcombinations thereof. For voice messaging, the telephony servers 110handle most telephony-related functions including, without limitation,executing outbound calls and forwarding calls to a contact center. Theparticular hardware and software implementation details described hereinare merely for illustrative purposes are not meant to limit the scope ofthe present invention.

In a representative embodiment, a typical machine in the serviceinfrastructure is a processor-based server running Linux, and the serverincludes a telephone interface. A typical interface has up to 240 ports,and each port may be considered a separate telephone line. There aretypically a set of such servers operating at a given location (e.g., anInternet data center). The following is a typical operation of the voicemessaging service. Using a Web browser or the Web service API, a clientprovisions a campaign, provisioning a script to be played to a targetcustomer. The scope and content of the script will depend on thecampaign. The client also provides the service provider with contactinformation for a set of persons, who are the target recipients of thecampaign. In operation, the system batches a subset of those contacts toone of the machines in the server farm. A control routine executing onthe machine takes a first contact in the subset and assigns the contactto an available port. The script is then initiated and the interfacecard initiates a call over a port. When the recipient's phone isanswered, the system determines whether a human being has answered thecall (as opposed to an answering machine, a fax, or the like). If ahuman being has answered, the script plays a set of prompts (basically aset of scripted questions). During the call, if the target recipienttakes a given action, a direct-connect (DC) function is initiated. Inparticular, the system places the call on hold, opens up a separate lineto a contact center telephone number (typically provisioned by theclient), waits for an agent to respond, places the responding agent onhold, and then bridges the customer to the agent. The system thendisconnects. In an alternative, the DC function may take place whetheror not the recipient actively initiates it, e.g., by just having thesystem inform the recipient to “please hold” while the connection to thecontact center is established by the service provider.

The contact center may be owned, operated or managed by a third party.The service provider may manage the agents directly. A representativecontact center includes automatic call distribution (ACD) functions. Asis well-known, an ACD is a computer-implemented and controlled telephonesystem that distributes calls to contact center agents equitably andgathers statistics about the agents. When the service provider controlsand/or manages the agents directly, the provider infrastructure mayinclude a dialer, which is an automatic telephone dialing system. Adialer initiates outbound call from a list of telephone numbers, turns acall over to an agent when a human being responds, and gathersstatistics about agents. Such ACD and dialer technologies arewell-known.

Using the service provider infrastructure, a business entity can create,execute and manage a message (voice, text, email, or combination)campaign. As noted above, a campaign may have associated therewith oneor more “sub-campaigns.” Using a Web interface, a client loads a list ofcontacts who will be called and associates that list with a script. A“sub-campaign” refers to one or more passes through a contact list thathas been bound to a script and that has been associated with a giventimeframe. Thus, a “sub-campaign” associates at least the followingitems: a list of contacts, a script, and a timeframe. Additional detailsregarding sub-campaigns are set forth below. As noted above, a scriptdetermines what will happen during a contact (e.g., an outbound voicecall). Typically, a script is formatted as XML and (in a voice messagescenario) specifies a sequence of audio prompts that are played and whathappens when the recipient takes certain actions such as pressing abutton on the phone or speaking a response. As noted above, adirect-connect to the contact center may be carried out automatically(merely when the system determines that the call has been answered byother than an answering machine) and thus the script may designate thisfunctionality.

One or more contact lists are stored in a contact database, andtypically a contact list comprises a set of contacts. A contacttypically is an individual in the contact database, and this individualis sometimes referred to as the “customer” (as, technically, theindividual is a customer of the client using the managed service). Acontact can include home, work or cell numbers, a client identifier, anemail address, or the like. Also, contacts typically include first name,last name, company and other information.

With reference to FIGS. 2A-2B, and as described above, a business entityconnects to the service provider, authenticates, and then uses one ormore applications to create, execute and manage the campaign. Theseapplications execute on the application server machines and operate inassociation with one or more databases that are supported within thedatabase management system. These applications include, for example, acontact management application 202, a campaign management engine 204, ascheduling engine 206, and a scripting engine 208. The contactmanagement application 202 handles the receipt and storage of thecontact list(s) uploaded (e.g., via FTP or otherwise) to the system byor on behalf of the business entity client. The scripting engine 208handles the creation and managing of the campaign scripts, usinginstructions entered by or on behalf of the business entity client via aweb-based interface or Web services API. The campaign management engine204 manages the campaign by interoperating with the scheduling engine206, which in turn interoperates with the telephony servers 205 toexecute the campaign. The business entity client evaluates or monitorsthe campaign from summary, detail and/or custom reports generated by areporting engine application 210. Campaign evaluation and monitoring mayalso be performed via a Web-based user interface, or in an automatedmanner via an API. Notification campaigns are executed using emailservers 212 and SMS (or MMS) servers 214, or by other means, such as bytelephone.

As also illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2B, after connecting an outbound call toa target customer 216, the customer may elect to be connected to thecontact center 218 (typically a third party contact center) or thesystem may perform that direct-connect automatically once it determinesthat a human being (as opposed to an answering machine) has answered theoutbound call. (An end user may also send a message (e.g., an SMS) tothe system). The system typically obtains information about the contactcenter's performance during a given communications campaign, commonlywithout requiring a direct connection between the infrastructure and acontact center's on-premises ACD. This enables the managed serviceprovider to integrate with both its business entity clients and withtheir associated contact center environments rapidly and efficiently.The interconnectivity between the managed service provider and thecontact center may be “inferred” from how calls that originate from theservice provider to the target recipients (who have expressed aninterest in being connected to the contact center) are actually handled.This “indirect” connectivity is illustrated in FIG. 2 by the controlengine 220, which can be provided in software as a set of softwareinstructions executable on a processor. In the voice messaging scenario,the engine is responsible for dispatching messages at an appropriaterate while ensuring that all customer-requested rule parameters (asdescribed below) are honored. Examples of such parameters include:number of agents available at the contact center, maximum hold time atthe contact center, client abandon rate prior to speaking to a contactcenter, number of bad numbers reached on the outbound dial, and soforth. Generally, for a given client campaign or sub-campaign, theengine 220 decides on an initial message dispatch rate based on theclient-requested parameters (and, optionally, on historical data fromlike campaigns or sub-campaigns). Once the campaign or sub-campaign, asthe case may be, starts running, the engine 220 monitors the parametersand ensures that they remain within tolerance. If an identifiedparameter exceeds the client-defined value, then a system action rule(e.g., adjusting the message dispatch rate, suspending the sub-campaign,or the like) is applied and any client notification requested is issued.Additional details regarding the functionality of the engine 220 aredescribed in U.S. Publication No. 2007/0172050, which is commonly-owned.

As noted above, preferably a web-based interface is provided to enable abusiness entity client to create a set of one or more management rulesthat, when triggered during the campaign, cause the infrastructure (and,in particular, certain control applications therein) to take certaincontrol actions in real-time, preferably based on campaign performance.A campaign may include several preset strategies that a client maychoose to change based on day of week or time of day.

As used herein, the following terms have the associated meanings. Asnoted above, a “campaign” refers to an overall series of messages to acontact list using one or more sub-campaigns that use a given script.Campaigns also act as templates for the sub-campaigns that are createdunder them. A campaign typically has a preset configuration that appliesto all of its sub-campaigns. As noted above, a “sub-campaign” refers toone or more passes through a contact list using a script and that isconstrained to a particular timeframe (or at a set of one or more suchtimes). A sub-campaign typically runs under an existing campaign. A“script” as noted above determines what happens during a customerinteraction (e.g., a phone call for a voice campaign). Commonly, thescript specifies (for a voice call) a sequence of audio prompts that areplayed to a client (an end user who receives a call) and what happens(the contact center connection) when the recipient takes certain actions(such as pressing a button on the phone or speaking an answer to aquery). The script may also specify other actions, such as effecting acontact center connection automatically when detecting that a humanbeing has answered. The nature and type of actions set forth in a scriptthus may be quite varied, and this disclosure is not limited to anyparticular process flow within a script.

An “agent” typically is a contact center operator. A “skill group” is aset of agents that are trained to handle a given script. In oneembodiment, a skill group defines the number of agents who are scheduledto be on duty at various times of the day on various days of the week,as well as the phone number to use to contact those agents. A skillgroup can be shared across multiple sub-campaigns or over multiplephysical facilities (e.g., telephone numbers). A script may cause therouting of direct-connect calls to different skill groups based on thepath through the script. A client of the service may assign a skillgroup to a sub-campaign when it creates the sub-campaign, whereupon theagents in that skill group are then responsible for handling anyincoming messages for that sub-campaign. Agents in a skill group become“live” according to a schedule or upon login to the service provider.Thus, in one embodiment a “live” agent is an agent that has beenregistered with the service provider, e.g., using a supervisor dashboardor a contact center schedule. An “unallocated” agent is an agent that isnot yet allocated to a sub-campaign. An “allocated” agent is an agentthat is allocated to a sub-campaign. A “busy” agent is an agentcurrently assisting a client. An “available” agent is an agent waitingfor work. A “break” is a state when the agent is away from his or herstation. The acronym “ACW” refers to “after-call-work” or agentprocessing, which occurs after a particular customer service iscompleted and before the agent is servicing a new customer contact.

In one embodiment, agents in a skill group may be automaticallyallocated to a particular sub-campaign based on a priority of eachrunning sub-campaign. This is not a requirement, however. Thus, forexample, sub-campaigns with a higher priority are given as many agentsas they can use before a lower-priority sub-campaign is considered.Sub-campaigns of equal priority are allocated agents according to anumber of agents that can be used (or the number of available contacts)in a next time period (e.g., 5 minutes). In the alternative, suchprioritization of sub-campaigns need not be enforced across agents in askill group, thereby enabling more equal access to the agents. Theagents allocated to each sub-campaign typically changes over time as thenumber of available contacts changes (which affects the number of agentsthat can be used by each sub-campaign). Preferably, the system adjuststhe rate for a sub-campaign based on several factors: the number ofagents currently being used by the sub-campaign, the percentage ofattempts that result in a direct connect attempt, and an average lengthof a successful direct connect call.

As noted above, agent allocation is not a requirement. In thealternative, agents in a skill group are either taking a call or areidle. They may receive a call from any sub-campaign currently assignedto the skill group. In this embodiment, a priority value determines if aparticular sub-campaign should be dialed at a faster rate than another.This results in one sub-campaign generating more direct-connects andrequiring more agents from the pool of available agents.

Typically, a skill group is based on one or more business requirements.For example, skill groups may be based on skill type, language skills,skill level, or other such factors. When a new sub-campaign is created,a skill group is assigned to that sub-campaign. The schedule for theskill group then determines the messaging rate at any given time. Asmore agents come on duty, typically the rate increases to keep thoseagents busy. When fewer agents are on duty, however, the rate decreasesto avoid long hold queues for the customers. As noted above, a singleskill group can be assigned to multiple sub-campaigns at the same time.Messages from each sub-campaign preferably are sent to any availableagent in the skill group, so a given agent should be trained to handlemessages from each of the sub-campaigns.

There may be different types of skill groups, such as a standard skillgroup, and an enhanced agent mode skill group. The standard skill grouptypically is a skill group to which a single phone number is assigned,and that number is a default phone number when there is no other numberdefined in the script. A standard skill group typically does not use aservice-side hold queue, as defined below. With a standard skill group,agents always hang up after the client call has completed. Caller ID canbe used to generate an agent screen pop-up window with the correctcustomer information if the client's infrastructure supports thecapability. As an alternative, an audible “whisper” with customerinformation can be played for the agent prior to completing theconnection. Agents may take advantage of a service-side hold queue to“stay-on-line” (remain connected and to receive a next customer afterthe last customer hangs-up, as described in more detail below). Ifagents remain connected, caller ID typically is not used for the screenpop-up because, typically, caller ID cannot be changed after the firstcall the agent's phone has been placed. If the enhanced agent mode skillgroup mode is used, contacts connect directly to a specific agent whohas his or her own unique telephone number. Thus, when this type ofskill group is configured, individual agents are added (by name)together with the associated telephone numbers. In this configuration,each agent has a unique phone number, or each agent may be set up with adifferent extension where one or more agents share the unique phonenumber. As with the standard mode configuration, agent mode skill groupsuse a pre-defined schedule. Individual agents, however, can each have acustom schedule or can participate in a common schedule group. Theservice provider can track individual agent activity in this mode, andagents use the hold queue and can stay-on-line as described above. Inthis mode, caller ID is not used for an agent screen pop-up window.

The system preferably executes a program to provide an agent “portal” bywhich an administrator (e.g., a supervisor) can administer and manageagents. The portal typically includes an agent screen, and a supervisorscreen. A server component executes in the service provider systeminfrastructure, and a client component executes in the agent's desktop,preferably in a web browser. When the system is operating in theenhanced agent mode skill group configuration, the status of theindividual agents can be viewed. This view contains information, such asthe client contact with whom the agent is being connected. In thisembodiment, a web page can be used as a screen pop to pass informationto the agent about the contact. Typically, an agent operating in thismode has the following mutable attributes: skill group, telephonenumber, sub-campaign, and state (e.g., unallocated, available, busy,ACW, handoff, break, hold queue, or unavailable). The agent also can bevisualized from the perspective of his or her identity, authenticationinformation, permissions and access rights. Preferably, upon connectionto the service provider or the appropriate contact center system, theagent's screen is refreshed periodically (e.g., once per second). Theserver-client screen pop functionality may be implemented in anyconvenient manner using existing technologies such as Comet, AJAX, XMPP,and the like. Comet is a WWW architecture in which a web server sendsdata to a client program (normally a web browser) asynchronously withoutany need for the client to explicitly request it. This allows for thecreation of an event-driven web application. XMPP refers to eXtensibleMessaging and Presence Protocol (f/k/a Jabber), which is an open,XML-based protocol for near real-time, extensible instant messaging (IM)and presence information (a/k/a buddy lists). XMPP is extensible and cansupport other features such as voice over IP (VoIP) and file transfer.In a representative embodiment, an agent has a telephony connection andan associated machine (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptop computer orother mobile computing device, or the like) that comprises a web browseror other rendering engine that is compatible with AJAX technologies(e.g., XHTML, XML, CSS, DOM, JSON, and the like). AJAX technologiesinclude XHTML (Extensible HTML) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) formarking up and styling information, the use of DOM (Document ObjectModel) accessed with client-side scripting languages, the use of anXMLHttpRequest object (an API used by a scripting language) to transferXML and other text data asynchronously to and from a server using HTTP),and use of XML or JSON (Javascript Object Notation, a lightweight datainterchange format) as a format to transfer data between the server andthe client.

The following describes a typical life cycle for an un-owned agent. Oncean agent enters the live state, he or she is typically unallocated. Oncethe agent is allocated to a specific sub-campaign, he or she enters anavailable state. The system then establishes and maintains thepersistent telephony connection to the agent, as previously described.Once a customer request occurs (a client has requested adirect-connect), the agent enters various states, such as busy. Afterthe call is completed, the agent enters (or may enter) the ACW state,after which the agent transitions back to the available state where heor she can receive a next call.

Text Messaging Enhancements

The above-described message infrastructure includes a “text messagingsusbsystem” —namely, appropriate interfaces, applications, utilities andcontrol processes to enable customers to use the platform to send andreceive text messages from mobile devices. A representative textmessaging application is described in co-pending Ser. No. 11/534,258,which is commonly-owned. The disclosure of that application isincorporated herein by reference.

As used herein, a “mobile device” interacts with the text messagingsubsystem of the platform to receive “outbound” messages issued from thesubsystem, and to send “inbound” messages to the platform (or, morecommonly, to an “agent” associated with the platform. As used herein, a“mobile device” should be broadly construed. It includes any wirelessclient device, e.g., a cellphone, pager, a personal digital assistant(PDA, e.g., with GPRS NIC), a mobile computer with a smartphone client,or the like. A typical mobile device is access protocol-enabled device(e.g., an iPhone®, a Blackberry® device, a Google Android, or the like)that is capable of sending and receiving data in a wireless manner usingthe wireless application protocol. A typical access protocol is thewireless access protocol (WAP), but these devices can also takeadvantage of other protocols such as HTTP/HTML. WAP allows users toaccess information via wireless devices, such as mobile phones, pagers,two-way radios, communicators, and the like. WAP supports wirelessnetworks, including CDPD, CDMA, GSM, PDC, PHS, TDMA, FLEX, ReFLEX, iDEN,TETRA, DECT, DataTAC, and Mobitex, and it operates with many handhelddevice operating systems, such as PalmOS, EPOC, Windows CE, FLEXOS,OS/9, and JavaOS. Typically, WAP- or HTTP/HTML-enabled devices usegraphical displays and can access the Internet (or other communicationnetwork) on so-called mini- or micro-browsers, which are web browserswith small file sizes that can accommodate the reduced memoryconstraints of handheld devices and the low-bandwidth constraints of awireless networks. In a representative embodiment, the mobile device isa cellular telephone that operates over GPRS (General Packet RadioService), which is a data technology for GSM networks. In addition to aconventional voice communication, a given mobile device can communicatewith another such device via many different types of message transfertechniques, including SMS (short message service), enhanced SMS (EMS),multi-media message (MMS), email WAP, paging, or other known orlater-developed wireless data formats. Generalizing, a mobile device asused herein is a 2.5G- or 3G- (or next generation) compliant device thatincludes a subscriber identity module (SIM), which is a smart card thatcarries subscriber-specific information, mobile equipment (e.g., radioand associated signal processing devices), a man-machine interface(MMI), and one or more interfaces to external devices (e.g., computers,PDAs, and the like). The techniques disclosed herein are not limited foruse with a mobile device that uses a particular access protocol.

The text messaging system includes a number of enhanced features thatare now described.

1. Event-Based Support for Text Messages

The text messaging system provides event-based support for textmessages. In particular, according to this disclosure, an event-basedsub-campaign (defined within a given campaign) also has the ability tosend text messages. Preferably a “pass” within a given event-basedsub-campaign is single channel, and the sub-campaign automaticallycreates a new sub-campaign for each new day (although this is not alimitation). Thus, to support text messages (and email) within anevent-based sub-campaign paradigm as provided herein, the systemautomatically creates a new pass for each channel for each day.

Preferably, the platform supports “blending”—wherein the type of messageprovided to a contact changes from one channel type to another channeltype (e.g., voice to text, text to voice, text to email, email to text,and so forth). Preferably, event-based sub-campaigns that support textmessaging also support blending such as an event-based voice call isable to initiate a text message follow-up, or vice versa, under scriptcontrol. Preferably, when a user of the system sets up an event-basedsub-campaign, the system user interface (UI) allows him or her to choose(e.g., via checkboxes or other menu controls) which channels theevent-based sub-campaign supports. The available channels areconstrained by the customer's account configuration. When a new contact(or list of contacts) is added to an event-based sub-campaign, thefollowing properties are implemented. If the device which would beattempted is an email address (and the event-based sub-campaign supportsemail), then the contact is added to an email pass. If the device whichwould be attempted is a landline telephone number (and the event-basedsub-campaign supports voice messaging), then the contact is added to avoice pass. If the device which would be attempted is wireless (and theevent-based sub-campaign supports text messaging), then the contacttelephone number is added to a text message pass. If the device whichwould be attempted is a wireless telephone number (and the event-basedsub-campaign does not support text messaging), then the contact is addedto a voice pass. If the user prefers behavior different from the above(e.g., if the user wants wireless numbers to receive voice calls evenwhen the account and event-based sub-campaign supports text), then theuser can set up other event-based sub-campaigns per channel.

2. Short Code and Program Management

The text messaging system preferably includes support for short codemanagement, as is now described. By way of background, the textmessaging system includes an API or native application that interfacesto an aggregator function (which may be provided by a third party). Thesystem can send text messages to the aggregator and receive responsesand acknowledgements from an aggregator. The interface may supportconnection to multiple aggregators using multiple short codes. A shortcode has the following properties: a short code number (5-6 digits), atype (shared or dedicated), message class (standard or“free-to-end-user” (FTEU)), country, and aggregator/SMPP endpoint. Thetext messaging application includes support for short code management,which is now described.

As used herein, the following terms have the following definitions. A“program” is a type of message approved for use on particular short codeover a set of carriers. Programs can be created, updated, and deleted,and a program has a program name, description, class (e.g., standard orFTEU), and type (alert or interactive). An “approval” represents theapproval status of a particular program with a particular short code andcarrier. Approvals can be created, updated, and deleted, and an approvalhas the following associated properties: a program, a short code, acarrier (which also implies country), and a status (e.g., submitted,approved, or the like). A “program family” preferably is defined as aset of approvals for a particular program with no overlapping carriers,root keywords, or short codes. Typically, a program family is determinedprogrammatically by virtue of the short codes, programs and approvals.

When an inbound text arrives to the system, the system determines theprogram family (set of approvals) based on the carrier, originatingdevice (telephone number), and destination short code. For each of theseprogram families, preferably there is a set of unique top-level keywordsthat the system operator can create, edit or update. For activeconversations (e.g., between and end user and an agent), preferably thekeywords below the top level are controlled by a script within theparticular account (as described below). Top-level keywords preferablyhave the following properties: a program family, an enterprise accountto which they are assigned.

3. Script Support

A “script” and its use in the messaging platform for a given campaign orsub-campaign has been described above. A text messaging “script”preferably has the following additional capabilities. It specifies aninitial outbound text message, and includes support for embedded contactfields and variables. It specifies a response to a help (or the like)message, and (in that regard) it includes support for embedded contactfields and variables. It specifies a response to an opt-out or opt-inmessage, and (in that regard) it includes support for embedded contactfields and variables. The script has the capability of calling a Webservice application programming interface (API), including the systemAPI, as well as one or more extension functions. The script maintains astate for a given conversation and takes different actions depending onthe state, keywords used, value of variables, and the like. Whiletop-level keywords are managed by the system, keywords below thetop-level typically are managed within a script. A script may supportinbound-initiated conversations as well as out-bound initiatedconversations.

A script may be limited to text messaging-only, or it may includesupport for both text and voice.

A script may indicate that a text message or email is to be sent as afollow-up to a voice message. This is accomplished by allowing a statein a voice message script to include the sending of a text message oremail. This may be via an XML state type, or via a call to an extensionfunction that implements the operation. In one embodiment, the scriptmay dictate that the text message may be sent to the current device (ifwireless), another specified device in the contact (if wireless), orsome arbitrary telephone number provided in the script (such as via atelephone capture module). In another embodiment, the script may dictatethat the email message may be set to another specified device in thecontact (if an email address), or an arbitrary email address provided bythe script (such as via an email address capture module).

Although not meant to be limiting, preferably an attempt to send a textmessage from a voice script fails if the account is not associated withtext messaging services using the platform.

Preferably, a message that is sent or initiated via the blendingfunction (described above) is not considered part of any contact pass ina sub-campaign. Also, messages sent via blending preferably are countedand billed by the service provider just like any other messages that aresent in the sub-campaign.

Preferably, a script can determine whether a telephone number iswireless within a voice script. This number may be the current device,another specified device in the contact, or an arbitrary telephonenumber provided by the script (such as via a telephone capture module).

Preferably, a script can determine whether a telephone number isFTEU-capable within a script. This enables the script to vary itsbehavior based on whether a number is wireless or FTEU.

A script may also determine whether a customer account it is running inis authorized to send voice, text and/or email messages. This will varydepending on what services are contracted for by the customer. Thisfunction allows the script to offer different options to the user basedon the authorized capabilities.

4. Agent Portal

The basic functionality of the agent portal has been described above.Preferably, the agent portal interface is extended to support text inaddition to voice. A given agent may be dedicated to handling inboundvoice contacts, or inbound messages, or both. The following providesadditional details for text-only agents.

According to this disclosure, a queue is established to receive inboundmessages. These messages are those that cannot be responded to by thesystem automatically. Preferably, each “text’ agent, when logged in andavailable, is presented with a given (e.g., up to five (5)) inbound textmessages to handle. This set of messages may be considered a “work unit”for the agent. When the agent completes handling the work unit, he orshe can request another set of messages (if available). The messagesthat the agent receives preferably are from whatever sub-campaigns areusing the skill group to which the agent is then assigned. Each inboundmessage typically includes the following information: message content,date/time received, client ID (if available), originating telephonenumber, country and short code, campaign/sub-campaign, message type(help, opt-out, opt-in, or other), and an indication of whether anauto-reply was sent. When the agent selects a message, the followingadditional information may be displayed: contact trace/history for theend user (i.e., a history of previous voice/text/email contacts at theaccount level), and the contents of any contact record for the end user.For each message, preferably the following actions are possible:respond, either via predetermined text message (a message template), orvia free-form text message; archive; return to queue (so that themessage will get assigned to a different agent); or opt-out (atcampaign, account, or enterprise level, e.g., based on device of clientID).

As noted above, as one response option, the agent can choose apredefined message template to send a text message. The template mayinclude one or more personalization fields populated from the contactrecord. The agent may define his or her own message template usingconventional GUI or command line interfaces.

As another response option, the agent may enter a telephone number andsend a text message to that number. This message may be considered partof the sub-campaign for which the agent is currently processingmessages.

As another option, through the portal interface the agent may opt-out(i.e. suppress going forward) the telephone number from which a messageis received. In addition, the agent may type in a telephone number or aclient ID for opt-out. The agent also can indicate what level(campaign/account/enterprise) and what channel(s) to opt-out. If atelephone number has previously been opted out from receipt of textmessages (at the campaign, account or enterprise level), the agent isable to opt-in that number.

The portal also enables an agent to view a list of messages he or shehas sent, along with their associated details.

5. Additional Enhancements

The subsystem also provides for short code pooling. In particular, thesystem enables management (creation, update and/or deletion) of shortcodes across multiple customers.

In addition, the text messaging subsystem provides support for deliveryof text messages to non-North American telephone numbers (i.e. numbersoutside of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). Outside of NANP,telephone numbers, prefixes and country codes vary widely. To providethis support, the subsystem provides the following functions: DST andtime zone observance, number length and formatting, wireless/landlineidentification and filtering, aggregator and SMPP endpoint intelligence,error detection and handling that varies across aggregator or SMPPendpoint, throttling across various aggregator or SMPP endpoints, andthe like. If desired, a single list (and a single contact pass)comprises texts destined for multiple countries. Depending on thedestination country, the short code and aggregator endpoint may vary.

Use Cases

The above-identified functions may be used in various ways to provideenhanced text messaging. Thus, as an example, the inbound message queuemay be established in the agent portal to process “unhandled” or“yet-to-be handled” messages received at the system. (These messages maybe received in response to outbound voice or text messages in the usualcase). In this example, the inbound message queue has associatedtherewith a control routine (e.g., implemented in Javascript) whichmonitors the inbound message for a given top-level keyword (meaning akeyword monitored by the system) and, in response to detecting thatkeyword, takes a given action (e.g., moves the message to a givensub-queue, or the like). Using a campaign or sub-campaign messagingscript, further more “fine-grained” control may be provided with respectto keywords below the top level.

In a preferred embodiment, when an inbound text arrives for handling inthe agent portal subsystem (by a particular agent who can handle textmessages), the system determines the program family (which is a set ofapprovals) based on, for example, the carrier (over which the inboundmessage was sent), originating device and/or destination short code. Asnoted above, for each of these program families, preferably there is aset of unique top-level keywords that provide one or more desiredsystem-level actions. Sub-campaign scripts then carry out specificactions, preferably keyed by the lower-level keywords in the message. Asnoted above, a given text messaging script typically has support forembedded contact fields and variables over which the control functionsmay be programmed. Thus, for a given message (or, more generally,conversation between the agent (the system) and an end user beingcontacted by the system), different actions can be taken depending onthe state of the conversation, keywords used, the value of variables,and the like. This advanced scripting capability provides significantlyimproved campaign results as compared to the prior art text messagingsystems.

The following section provides additional technical details regardingthe SMS-based messaging enhancements. As used below, the following termsshall have the following meanings. A short-code is a preferably 4-6digit number used as a caller-id or inbound device for sending andreceiving text messages. A source address (sometimes referred to hereinas an “inbound device”) is a dedicated phone number, including a shortcode or long code (10 digit number) that is used to send and receivetext messages. An aggregator is an entity, typically distinct from theservice provider, which handles mobile terminating/mobile originating(MT/MO) traffic from the service provider and acts as a go-between forone or more telecommunication carriers that handle SMS messages. FTEUrefers to free-to-end-user messages that can only be sent on a supportedsource address. MT refers to a mobile terminated message or a messagethat is sent to the client device. MO refers to a mobile originatedmessage or a message that is received from the client device. Opt-outrefers to a MO message sent in from a client device that indicates theuser wishes to be suppressed from future messages from thiscampaign/account. A “program” refers to an approved text messagingcampaign on a particular source address. Example would be banking alertsor credit card collections. A “conversation” refers to a set of back andforth text messages between the service provider system (automatic orvia agent) and a client device on a single source address. A “keyword”refers to an unsolicited predefined text message that is sent in from aclient device that is mapped to an inbound sub-campaign.

The following describes source address management within the hostedservice provider infrastructure. A list of valid source addresses isdefined and maintained. A source address has a set of one or moreprograms that can be run with respect to that address. A source addressalso will have a set of one or more client device carriers that it cansupport. This can include U.S. and international carriers. An MT messagecan be sent to a device on a particular source address if the carrier ofthe device is supported on the source address. A source address may berestricted so that it is only used by a single service provider accountor enterprise, however, typically that account/enterprise will not belimited to use only that source address. Preferably, an individualsub-campaign may send MTs on many source addresses. Preferably, thehosted service provider platform attempts to pick a source address froma pool to help ease the ambiguity associated with determining whichsub-campaign owns MO messages that are sent as replies. In particular,preferably the system picks a source address based on the desiredprogram, device carrier, and (optionally) the identity of the serviceprovider account/enterprise. If a single source address is availablegiven the criteria, preferably that address will be used. If, however,multiple source addresses match the criteria, preferably the systemautomatically picks the source address that has not been used by anotherservice provider account for contacting that particular device. If asource address cannot be found that has not yet been contacted,preferably the oldest used source address is selected to minimize thechances of a user responding to the older message (versus the newermessage). If a source address is not available for the desired programand device carrier, the message attempt is considered to be filtered andis marked with a completion status of either program not supported orcarrier not supported. A source address/program/carrier combinationmaybe set as enabled or disabled. The combination may also be set asavailable only for test.

The service provider text messaging channel provides several primary usecases: (1) dispatching text messages from a text call pass, (2)receiving inbound response MO messages and handling automatic outboundMT responses, (3) receiving inbound keyword MO messages and handlingautomatic outbound MT responses, and (4) sending messages from the textagent portal UI that are manually initiated by an agent. In the firstthree use cases, a sub-campaign typically contains a JavaScript-basedscript file in a custom Java archive file (JAR) that drives theconversation with the client. This script is responsible for derivingthe initial text message(s) for dispatch in case (1), as well ashandling the responses to MO messages in cases (2) and (3). This occurswhen a contact list is sent by a text-messaging pass of a sub-campaign.As is well-known, Javascript is a client-side scripting language used inweb applications to control web browser behavior; it can also be usedserver-side. The JAR file is server-side code that executes in anapplication server in the service platform described above.

The following describes the mobile originated message handling use case.

The service platform supports conversations that are originated from amobile device. In particular, the platform is configured to support alist of root-level keywords per source address that map to a runninginbound sub-campaign. Preferably, keywords are handled in acase-insensitive way. Each keyword/source address pair is uniquelymapped to a single inbound sub-campaign. An example would be keyword“bank_bal” on source address 70650, which keyword/address pair might bemapped to an inbound sub-campaign that handles any MO messages with thatmessage text on that source address. Preferably, mappings ofkeywords/source addresses are configured using an enterprise level userinterface (UI). Preferably, MO messages that are mapped to a keyword areconsidered to be conversation starters even if the sending device has anexisting active conversation for another sub-campaign. Keyword/sourceaddress mappings preferably are used only to define top-levelconversation starters. In such case, such mappings cannot be used toconstruct an interactive back-and-forth survey with the client device.In a typical use scenario, the inbound sub-campaign's configuration isused to define the remainder of the conversation, including how torespond to the initial MO message.

For MO messages that come in as responses to platform-initiated MTmessages, the configuration of a sub-campaign preferably determines howMO messages are handled. An MO message is considered a response if (1)it is not a keyword that is defined on the source address that it cameon and (2) there has been previous contact with the device on thatsource address. An MO message that comes in on a source address and thatcannot be mapped to a keyword and for which there was no previouscontact with that device preferably is mapped to a default inboundsub-campaign. The configuration for that inbound sub-campaign may sendthat message into the agent portal where the messages can be reviewedperiodically. If the inbound device is dedicated to an account, somedefault inbound sub-campaign on that account handles the message.

The following describes the mobile terminated message handling use case.

Any MT text message that is dispatched from a sub-campaign preferablybegins a new conversation regardless of whether the client device hasbeen contacted in the past. MT text messages are dispatched from a textcall pass. MT text message attempts are scheduled using call pass times.MT text message pacing is handled with a fixed or auto-paced dispatchrate. Contents of the MT message are defined by the sub-campaignconfiguration. Multiple text messages can be sent to a single device ina single call pass. The system attempts to group the messages in thesame order as they were dispatched. The system also attempts to schedulethe messages to go out together. If any message in the group failsimmediately, the original message is considered failed for escalationpurposes. If any message in the group is not attempted, the originalmessage is considered not attempted for escalation purposes. Whendispatching MT messages, the program preferably is defined before an MTcan be dispatched.

The following describes how to custom business logic can be defined forMT and MO message handling according to this disclosure.

Preferably, inbound and outbound sub-campaigns have the ability toinject custom business logic for sending out original MT messages,responding to keyword based messages, and responding to serviceprovider-originated MT messages. To this end, as noted above asub-campaign text messaging configuration identifies custom businesslogic via Javascript or other similar interpretive programming language.The messaging configuration preferably also has access to a set ofapplication program interfaces (APIs) that implement serviceprovider-specific functionality in Javascript or other scripting code.In particular, a sub-campaign text messaging configuration is presumedto have access to the following entities when it is called to handledispatching an MT or to respond to an MO: contact fields that weresubmitted in the contact list, device information for the client device,the incoming MO message, and previous conversations (MT/MOs) that haveoccurred with the device across one or more sub-campaigns for thisaccount/enterprise. The system default behavior identifies opt-out andhelp MOs. Preferably, a sub-campaign text messaging configuration hasthe ability to define whether a particular MO message should be flaggedto be viewed by an agent. This puts the MO message in queue to be viewedby an agent in the text agent portal. A sub-campaign text messagingconfiguration has the ability to store customer specific informationwhen it is executed, and to retrieve that information when it isexecuted a subsequent time. This is useful for the keeping stateinformation about the client, such as whether right partyverification/authentication has been successfully performed on thedevice within a certain time period. It can also be very useful forsophisticated surveys where the client device's last position andprevious responses to that survey can be easily accessed. A sub-campaigntext messaging configuration preferably has the ability to define thepre-approved program that is to be used for any MT messages. Any custombusiness logic that takes longer than a configured amount of time orruns through a configured limit of instructions preferably is terminatedby the system.

Certain service provider customers may have keywords reserved onpredefined source addresses (short codes) that will allow the platformto know that an incoming MO message needs to be tied to one of thecustomer's sub-campaigns. This is so the MO can be recorded and a customscript can be run to handle the MO. Also, keywords should be uniqueenough so that an MO message that is sent as part of a regularconversation is not interpreted as a keyword and then mapped to anincorrect sub-campaign. Keywords are defined and mapped to inbounddevices in the platform. The inbound device is then associated with aninbound sub-campaign.

As noted above, preferably every text message that is dispatched fromthe platform is associated with a program name. The platform includes adatabase that contains a mapping of all certified programs, sourceaddresses, and carriers. A custom Javascript script is responsible forsetting the program name and message text of any MT text message. Inparticular, the goal of a custom script is to define the program nameand message text(s) of MT text messages dispatched from a sub-campaignand to handle MO messages sent from the client device. The systemautomatically assigns a source address (if one is available) to usebased on the program name and the carrier of the device (determined bythe system). The custom JS script preferably is called inside of a givenworkflow. Like an XML script, the JS script has a well defined structurethat must be followed which then leads to the custom logic. The customJS script format has a structure in the form of entry-point methods thatthe scripts implement. Preferably, the methods that each scriptimplement include the following: begin( ), moHandler( ), optOutHandler() and helpHandler( ). These methods are automatically invoked by theplatform in certain situations. The begin( ) method is invoked when thesystem needs to send out an MT message from a call pass. TheoptOutHandler( ) and helpHandler( ) methods are invoked when an MOopt-out or help messages are received. The moHandler( ) methodpreferably handles all other MO messages including keyword-basedmessages.

The begin( ) method is called when the platform is preparing a textmessage request from a text call pass of a sub-campaign to be picked upby an application message server and dispatched to the client. A typicalimplementation of the begin( ) method constructs a text message using ahard-coded piece of text, optionally pulls in a contact field value intothe text, and then fires off the message with a program name.

The optOutHandler( ) method is responsible for handling an MO messagethat has been designated by the system as an opt-out message. Thismethod typically responds to the opt-out message with an MT response andopts the user out of any future text messaging for this account.

The helpHandler( ) method is responsible for handling an MO message thathas been designated by the system as a help message. This methodtypically responds to the help message with an MT response.

The moHandler( ) method is responsible for handling an MO messages thatare not classified by the system as opt-out or help messages. Thisincludes handling of top-level keywords. This method performs any kindof logic similar to the begin method. Its primary role is to optionallyderive a response message for the MO and to mark the message to go intothe text agent portal.

The platform may also implement a JavaScript API that includes highlevel methods that each perform a certain task or returns some entity.The entities themselves have methods that perform certain tasks orreturn other entities. The API may include one or more of the followinghigh level methods:

getCurrentCallPass( ) Method

This method returns a Call Pass entity that represents the current passthat the script is executing under. In the case of MO handling, the callpass will be the pass that sent the original message. The script canhave different behavior based on which call pass is running it.

getCurrentContact( ) Method

Returns the current contact entity that is running the script based onthe information. For inbound-initiated campaigns, the contact willcontain a single device and the client id will be the device.

getCurrentConversation( ) Method

Returns the current conversation entity that has taken place with thisclient device up to the point the script is executed. The conversationis the set of back and forth messages between the service provider andthe client device, as well as any session state left over by previousinvocations of the script.

getCurrentDevice( ) Method

Returns the client device that the script is being executed for.

getCurrentSubCampaign( ) Method

Returns the current sub-campaign that is running the script. This may bean outbound or inbound sub-campaign. A script can provide differentbehavior based on which campaign/sub-campaign is running it allowingmultiple campaigns to reference one script.

getInboundContactAttempt( ) Method

Returns the ContactAttempt entity that represents the inbound MO messagethat the script was called to process.

getScriptContext( ) Method

Returns the current ScriptContext entity, which represents the currentexecution of the custom script. The ScriptContext maintains the statusof the script and allows the script to set it. For example, if a scriptsees that it is missing a contact field that it needs and cannot send amessage otherwise, it may choose to set the status of the script as baddata and the workflow would then automatically treat the attempt asfiltered.

sendTextMessage( ) Method

This method queues up an individual text message with the given programname and message text to be sent out after the script terminates. Thismethod may be called multiple times for a single script invocation tocreate a multiple message attempt group. The message text given is thefinal text that is sent to the client device without any furthermanipulation. The program name is used by the workflow to determinewhich source address/aggregator needs to be used to deliver the message.

sendTextMessageAutoSplit( ) Method

This method has the same functionality as the sendTextMessage( ) methodexcept that it has the capability to chop up a text message that isgreater than 160 characters into multiple messages. The multiplemessages will be treated as a single attempt group in the same way as ifthe script calls sendTextMessage( ) multiple times.

CallPass Entity

The CallPass entity represents the call pass that is running the currentscript.

Contact Entity

The Contact entity represents a contact in the system. Custom scriptscan use it to tailor messages for each contact.

ContactAttempt Entity

The ContactAttempt entity represents a text messaging attempt to theuser. It can be in the form of previous contact attempts that weresent/received from the client device in the context of a conversation,or it can represent the current MO message sent in from the clientdevice.

Conversation Entity

The Conversation entity represents successful back-and-forth messages(with the user) that have taken place at the time the custom script isexecuted. The conversation is tied to the sub-campaign that is currentlyrunning the custom script. The Conversation entity is useful for thecustom script to make some decision by looking at the previous ContactAttempts that have taken place. The Conversation entity also maintainssession data. Session data comprises variables and name/values that arestored by previous invocations of the custom script so that futureinvocations understand where they left off with the client device.Custom scripts can add/remove/modify any number of custom named sessionvariables that are maintained in the database. Preferably, sessionvariables have a unique name (within the conversation) and can have anumeric, string or date value. Session variables can be useful forcustom reports where the custom script can make it easy for the reportto derive certain information about the client message flow. A specificsession variable called “nextAction” can be set by the custom script toforce the script to automatically execute the named script method thenext time an MO message comes in from the client device.

Device Entity

The Device Entity represents the client device that we are dispatchingan MT to or are processing an MO from.

ScriptContext Entity

The ScriptContext entity represents the state of the custom script thatis executing. It allows the script to set the status that will becommunicated back to the workflow.

The following provides additional details regarding representative userinterface screens for configuration specific text-messagingfunctionality using custom JS scripts and keyword definition. FIG. 4 isa representative display interface screen that is used for associatingone or more keywords with a source address (inbound device). Then, theinbound device can then be assigned to an account. FIG. 5 is arepresentative display interface screen illustrating how to create a newcampaign and associate a script and inbound number to that campaign.

Sub Campaign Entity

The SubCampaign entity represents the sub-campaign that the customscript is running under.

As previously noted, the hardware and software systems in which thesubject matter herein is illustrated are merely representative. Thedescribed functionality may be practiced, typically in software, on oneor more machines. Generalizing, a machine typically comprises commodityhardware and software, storage (e.g., disks, disk arrays, and the like)and memory (RAM, ROM, and the like). The particular machines used in thenetwork are not a limitation. A given machine includes networkinterfaces and software to connect the machine to a network in the usualmanner. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the subject disclosure may beimplemented as a managed service (e.g., in an ASP model) using theillustrated set of machines, which are connected or connectable to oneor more networks. More generally, the service is provided by an operatorusing a set of one or more computing-related entities (systems,machines, processes, programs, libraries, functions, or the like) thattogether facilitate or provide the inventive functionality describedabove. In a typical implementation, the service comprises a set of oneor more computers. A representative machine is a network-based serverrunning commodity (e.g. Pentium-class) hardware, an operating system(e.g., Linux, Windows, OS-X, or the like), an application runtimeenvironment (e.g., Java, .ASP), and a set of applications or processes(e.g., Java applets or servlets, linkable libraries, native code, or thelike, depending on platform), that provide the functionality of a givensystem or subsystem. As described, the service may be implemented in astandalone server, or across a distributed set of machines. Typically, aserver connects to the publicly-routable Internet, a corporate intranet,a private network, or any combination thereof, depending on the desiredimplementation environment.

Having described our invention, what we now claim is set forth below: 1.A method for managing an interactive communications campaign, the methodcomprising: receiving, by a processor, a text message from a mobiledevice having a source address; identifying, by the processor, a firstlevel keyword in the text message; mapping, by the processor, the firstlevel keyword and the source address to the campaign; executing, by theprocessor, a messaging script with respect to the campaign, wherein themessaging script includes at least one action to be taken in associationwith the text message; and transmitting, by the processor, instructionsto take the at least one action in response to the text message, whereinthe at least one action is triggered by a second-level keyword in thetext message.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one actionis based on at least one of a state of a conversation, a second-levelkeyword, a value of a variable, or an occurrence in a communicationscampaign.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the occurrence is atransmission of a voice message, wherein the at least one action issending an outbound text message to the mobile device responsive to thevoice message.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the value of thevariable determines whether a given telephone number is wireless andshould receive an outbound text message.
 5. The method of claim 2,wherein the value of the variable determines that an account associatedwith the messaging script is enabled for text messaging.
 6. The methodof claim 2, wherein the first level keyword is associated with a messagefor use on a particular short code used for sending and receiving textmessages.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one action isgenerating an outbound text message.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinthe at least one action is moving the text message to a particularqueue.
 9. A system for managing interactive communications campaigns,the system comprising: a processor; and memory, wherein the memory hasstored therein instructions that, when executed by the processor, causethe processor to: receive a text message from a mobile device having asource address; identify a first level keyword in the text message; mapthe first level keyword and the source address to the campaign; executea messaging script with respect to the campaign, wherein the messagingscript includes at least one action to be taken in association with thetext message; and transmit instructions to take the at least one actionin response to the text message, wherein the at least one action istriggered by a second-level keyword in the text message.
 10. The systemof claim 9, wherein the at least one action is based on at least one ofa state of a conversation, a second-level keyword, a value of avariable, or an occurrence in a communications campaign.
 11. The systemof claim 10, wherein the occurrence is a transmission of a voicemessage, wherein the at least one action is sending an outbound textmessage to the mobile device responsive to the voice message.
 12. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the value of the variable determines whethera given telephone number is wireless and should receive an outbound textmessage.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the value of the variabledetermines that an account associated with the messaging script isenabled for text messaging.
 14. The system of claim 10, wherein thefirst level keyword is associated with a message for use on a particularshort code used for sending and receiving text messages.
 15. The systemof claim 9, wherein the at least one action is generating an outboundtext message.
 16. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one actionis moving the text message to a particular queue.